Hollywood's film archives overflow with the carcasses of dismal movies
based on lame '60s and '70s television shows, a syndrome that shows no sign
of abating. But here's evidence that the reverse effect, turning a movie
into a TV series, can have surprisingly positive results. Indeed, based on
the 21 episodes produced for the first season of Stargate SG-1, it
could be argued that this show is significantly better than the 1994 feature
it's derived from.

Hollywood's film archives overflow with the carcasses of dismal
movies based on lame '60s and '70s television shows, a syndrome that
shows no sign of abating. But here's evidence that the reverse effect,
turning a movie into a TV series, can have surprisingly positive
results. Indeed, based on the 21 episodes produced for the first season
of Stargate SG-1, it could be argued that this show is significantly better than the 1994 feature it's derived from.

The central conceit of the original Stargate--the
existence of an artificially created "wormhole" through which one can
travel to different worlds light years away from Earth--was an
intriguing one. In seizing on the obvious possibilities for expanding on
that premise, series executive producers-writers Jonathan Glassner and
Brad Wright have smartly retained some of the film's basic elements
(its amalgam of myth and theoretical hokum, or the ongoing clash of
wills between scientists and soldiers), while adding a variety of fresh
ideas (including new characters, new locations, and a welcome dose of
humor, much of it supplied by Richard Dean Anderson, MacGyver himself,
who replaces Kurt Russell in the central role of Colonel Jack O'Neill).
The result is a show with multidimensional heroes and villains and
consistently compelling story lines (many of them introduced in the
pilot and carried forward through subsequent episodes) balancing
excellent special effects and production values. All this and full
frontal nudity, too (at least in the aforementioned pilot). Who can
resist? The first season is spread out over five DVDs; the
100-minute pilot shares the first volume with two other episodes, while
discs 2 to 5 contain anywhere from three to five shows each. Sound and
visuals (in widescreen format) alike will take full advantage of any
home system's capabilities. But aside from language and subtitle
options, bonus features are limited to brief featurettes that play like
commercials and provide little in the way of background information or
insight (there are no features at all on the first disc). Then again,
if you really want to know what that symbol on Teal'c's forehead means,
or why the nasty, parasitic Goa'ulds look a lot like the fledgling
stomach monsters in the Alien series, there is no doubt a Web site out there just for you. --Sam Graham Review of Season Two:The 1994 movie Stargate was originally intended as the start of a franchise, but creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were distracted with Independence Day.
Episodic TV treatment was the natural next step. Replacing the roles
of Colonel Jack O'Neill (Kurt Russell) and Dr. Daniel Jackson (James
Spader) are, respectively, Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks.
They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and former
alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the primary unit SG-1.
With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets
all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact
with as many friendly races as possible. Chasing their heels at almost
every turn are the "overlord" pharaonic Goa'uld--the ancient Egyptian
gods from the original film. The welcome notion of a continued plot
thread sees offshoots that follow the reincarnation of Daniel's wife,
Sam's father literally joining a renegade faction of the Goa'uld, and
Jack in an unending quest to out-sarcasm everyone. Amid a plethora of
derivative look-alikes, Stargate SG-1 has held its own with stories that put the science fiction back into TV sci-fi.

Among
the second season's 22 episodes, "The Serpent's Lair" concludes the
cliffhanger from the end of the first season in a rollercoaster of wit,
plot twists, and cutting-edge special effects as the SG-1 team resign
themselves to a suicide mission. In the two-parter "The Tok'ra," Sam's
estranged father is dying of cancer, but her obligations sway her
toward saving a member of the Goa'uld renegade Tok'ra who is also dying.
In "Show and Tell," the central story arc takes a dramatic turn when a
child arrives to warn that some survivors of a Goa'uld attack are
determined to eliminate anyone who might host their enemy--which means
Earth as a whole. There's great fun to be had in "1969," with a
time-travel plot that loops many aspects of the show's story lines
together, and the cliffhanger finale, "Out of Mind," has Jack experience
an Aliens-style awakening 79 years into his future. --Paul Tonks

Review of Season Three:

To
resolve the season 2 cliffhanger, General Hammond rounds up every
conceivable ally to rescue the SG-1 team from Hathor's clutches and gets
a much-needed field trip in the process. "Into the Fire " is actually a
weak opening for the new year, but does boast some impressive visuals
as Hammond and Brat'ac pilot a shuttle through an open Stargate
(euphemistically called "threading the needle"). In subsequent episodes,
Daniel Jackson is intrigued by the planet Orban's scientific advances
over only a few years. An exchange of knowledge is agreed and the
precise "Learning Curve" of their children is revealed. Still recalling
the original movie, O'Neill is concerned for the siblings because of
the loss of his son. In "Demons" some serious lambasting of organized
religion occurs in a storyline concerning a medieval Christian village
that's being terrorized by a giant Goa'uld servant creature. This
episode both brings to light and questions each of the principal
characters' beliefs.

"Forever in a Day" begins an important
storyline about Daniel's wife Sha're's stolen child who is a "Harcesis,"
an illegal breeding between Goa'uld hosts. Then an earlier thread is
picked up in "Past and Present" on planet Vyus whose people all suffer
amnesia. Their leader Ke'ra (played by Megan Leitch who's portrayed
Mulder's missing sister in The X-Files) is a link to the earlier
"Prisoners" episode and the dangerous "destroyer of worlds". In a
two-part cliffhanger, Sam must attempt to rescue her father, face Satan
himself on a prison moon, and resurrect "Jolinar's Memories" from the
Goa'uld she was briefly possessed by, then "The Devil You Know" reveals
an embarrassing secret that could allow the team to escape the clutches
of Satanic Sokar. "Pretense" is one of those sci-fi series staples as a
character is put on trial to prove their guilt on behalf of another.
"Urgo" expands the general sardonic humor with a little pathos for the
guest appearance by Dom DeLuise. Lots of slapstick ensues.

"A
Hundred Days" is the three months O'Neill spends stranded on planet
Edora by the fire rain of a passing asteroid belt. Then in "Shades of
Grey" he appears to suffer a total personality switch when he steals
technology from the Tollan and is insubordinate in the extreme. Both
these are terrific concepts but are scarcely enough story to have
stretched across more than one episode. --Paul Tonks

Review of Season Four:

It wasn't until the beginning of Stargate SG-1's
fourth season that fans knew to take the Replicator threat seriously.
The spidery nasties had only seemed like one of many new enemies
introduced in previous years. But when the one seemingly omnipotent
backbone of the galaxy was asking Earth for help, clearly we were in
real trouble! In fact, the team's list of enemies expanded and got far
more complicated this year. Proving without a shadow of a doubt that
this is science fiction, the Russians reveal they have their own
Stargate program and ask the Americans for help. This twist allows for
exploration of all the political machinations occurring behind the
scenes of the SG-C, all of which appear to stem from the embittered
Senator Kinsey (Ronny Cox).

There were quite a few Earth-based
stories in the year, but not all the new enemies were originally local.
Willie Garson comically guest-starred as Martin, a geekily suspicious
guy with too much knowledge of the Stargate. More sinister was an old
flame of Daniel's turning into something far more painful than an old
wound (thanks to an ancient Egyptian curse). Thankfully, the writers
hadn't forgotten the importance of one-off storylines too. In
"Upgrades" the team learns a lesson in abuse of power. In "The Other
Side" (featuring DS9's
Rene Auberjonois) they learn about blind trust. In "Scorched Earth" a
dangerous claim for a planet's ownership means they learn to value
Daniel's contribution to the group dynamic. If only this last lesson
were learned better, season 5 might not have ended up as muddled as it
did. --Paul Tonks

Review of Season Five:

It now seems clear that season 5 of Stargate SG-1
will be remembered as the one in which something went awry with Daniel
Jackson. Lots of behind-the-scenes rumors fueled the idea of cast
tension, but whatever the problem, his sudden departure from the show
was obviously through a quickly contrived scenario. In retrospect,
there must have been a problem for some while before the weird
penultimate episode ("Meridian"). Michael Shanks looks frequently bored
in his rare moments of individual screen time as he infiltrates a
Goa'uld meeting and even when making friends with a creature everyone
else wants dead. In fact, there's only one point when everyone really
seems to be having fun, and that's in the spoof 100th episode "Wormhole
X-treme!"

Most shows go through a run-around,
skin-of-their-teeth period awaiting renewal, and it certainly seems to
have affected storylines this year. For example, a next generation of
younger SG teams is introduced. Replacements? The most unfortunate
aspect of things, however, was that not a single episode managed to
stand alone on its own merits. Every single story was dependent on a
part of the greater interwoven warring-species threads. Some of the
one-off tales were terrific in and of themselves, but it was as if the
writers fell into the trap of having to refer to as much backstory as
possible, perhaps to ensure loose ends could be easily wrapped up?
Ultimately none of this mattered since the show went on for quite a
while. --Paul Tonks

Review of Season Six:

The biggest change for Stargate SG-1's
sixth season was its move to the Sci-Fi Channel. Financial rescue or
genre haven from cancellation? Whatever the behind-the-scenes politics,
the departure of Daniel Jackson (actor Michael Shanks) the previous
year most certainly contributed to the need to run a tighter ship
somewhere. With the addition of his replacement, Jonas Quinn, the new
show dynamic (hinted at by the new title theme) meant far more
convolutedly involved story arcs and less individual focus. One of very
few solo spotlights came from Christopher Judge writing his own show,
when "The Changeling" saw Teal'c act out a life as a fireman. One
reason for its being a fan favorite was the cameo from
still-alive-after-all Daniel Jackson. There'd be several more through
the year, culminating in a finale that relied on how much attention
you'd been paying to that all-important back-story. Other kooky cameos
included Dean Stockwell in one of the many spotlights on the energy
resource n'quadria, Ian Buchanan as one of the devilish Replicators
(and hopefully the end of that plotline), and regular spots from John
DeLancie, Ronny Cox, and Tom McBeath as the Earth-bound series bad
guys. More pertinently, we also saw The X-Files' Byers (Bruce
Harwood) as a scientist involved with the Antarctic Gate. Lest we
forget, there are other portals on Earth. Is that an already planned
spin-off on the horizon? --Paul Tonks

Review of Season Seven:

A
gradual shift in overall style, character homecomings and departures,
and evolving on- and off-screen roles for the major players are among
the attractions of the seventh season of Stargate SG-1. Spread
out over five discs, these 21 episodes are ample indication that
changes notwithstanding--and admittedly, not all of them are for the
better--the series remains arguably the best-made, most compelling
sci-fi program on television.

Perhaps most noticeable is
the reduced role of star Richard Dean Anderson, who opted to limit his
number of trips to Vancouver, where Stargate SG-1 is filmed.
But that's not a bad thing. The show's ability to poke fun at itself
has always been a strong suit, and while Anderson still brings a
welcome sense of humor to his portrayal of wiseacre and loose cannon
Col. Jack O'Neill, his act is getting a little smug by now. What's
more, the other principal cast members have taken up the slack, both
behind and in front of the camera: Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson, who
rejoins the cast in episode 1) wrote one episode and co-wrote another;
Christopher Judge (Teal'c) wrote one as well; Amanda Tapping (Lt. Col.
Samatha Carter) directed episode 19, "Resurrection"; and even Corin
Nemec (Jonas Quinn, who appears in just a few episodes) contributed one
story.

The seventh season also finds the series somewhat
more earthbound than in the past; indeed, there are episodes in which
the Stargate (the "wormhole" our heroes use to travel to different
worlds) doesn't appear at all. On balance, the stories are more
personal, and more political--especially the final two, with the newly
elected U.S. President (William Devane) struggling to decide the fate
of the Stargate program (and, of course, the fate of the entire known
universe as well!). And then there's the ultimate villain, Anubis, who
makes perennial nemeses the Goa'uld (of which Anubis is one... sort of)
look tame. He's a combination of Star Wars' Darth Vader and evil Emperor, but hey, at least these guys borrow from the best.

Stargate SG-1's
production values remain first-rate. The bonus DVD features are also
much better than they once were, with audio commentary (mainly by
directors and writers) for every episode, as well as director profiles
and "Beyond the Gate" featurettes focusing on individual characters. --Sam Graham

Review of Season Eight:

The beat goes on for Stargate SG-1
in this five-disc set containing all 20 episodes from the show's
eighth season. If that beat is now a bit more faint than in previous
years, that's not particularly surprising when a franchise has been
around this long; what's more, if Season 8 has some fairly odd aspects
to it ("Threads," which appears to have been planned as the final
episode of the entire series, is followed by two more in this set
alone… not to mention an unexpected renewal that led to an all-new
Season 9), that too isn't exactly unusual in the wacky world of series
television.

Some significant changes are apparent in Season 8.
Jack O'Neill (series star Richard Dean Anderson) has been promoted to
Brigadier General and is now top dog (as he puts it, the guy who "spent
my whole life stickin' it to the man" now is the man). The
existence of the stargate, an artificially created "wormhole" through
which one can instantly travel to different worlds light years away
from Earth, is no longer a well-guarded secret. And Stargate Command
itself now exists primarily to "develop new weapons and technologies to
defend the planet" from our various alien antagonists--principally the
"Replicators," relentless little bug-machines poised to take over not
only Earth but the entire galaxy.

The rest of the SG-1 core cast
(Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, and Michael Shanks) is intact. But
whereas Anderson, who has steadily reduced his role in the show, wasn't
much missed in Season 7, one wishes there were more of him this time
around; O'Neill's general insouciance and aversion to techno-speak are a
welcome antidote to the kind of sci-fi gobbledygook (discussions about
"a time dilation field on the planet Hala" and such) that now
threatens to take precedence over the action and fine special effects
that distinguished earlier seasons. Most of all, while there are still
all manner of villains (Anubis, Ba'al, the ever-present Goa'uld) to
contend with, as well as a few good guys (the Asgard, the rebel Jaffa)
to help our heroes fight the good fight, Stargate SG-1's
writers and creators may be running out of steam. Hence we get an
episode like the very peculiar "Citizen Joe," featuring Dan Castellaneta
as an average guy who sees "visions" (i.e., clips from past episodes)
of the SG-1 team in action and becomes obsessed with proving that the
whole stargate project really exists; an uneasy combination of
self-parody and self-congratulation, this episode, while not unamusing,
sticks out like a sore thumb.

Bonus features include audio
commentary (mostly by the various directors) on 19 of the 20 episodes,
along with photo galleries and one featurette per disc. --Sam Graham

Review of Season Nine:

Stargate SG-1
soldiers on with this five-disc, 20-episode set from the sturdy
franchise's ninth season (2005-06), incorporating numerous changes
while continuing to distinguish itself as one of the television's best
sci-fi shows. Longtime star Richard Dean Anderson makes only brief
cameos these days, after seven seasons as Lieutenant Colonel and one as
Brigadier General Jack O'Neill. Stalwarts Amanda Tapping, Christopher
Judge, and Michael Shanks (as Samantha Carter, Teal'c, and Daniel
Jackson, respectively), are still on hand, but with Season 9, Ben
Browder (known to many genre fans for his lead role in the excellent Farscape
series) takes over as leader of SG-1, the Stargate project's ace team
in the field. As Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell, Browder effectively
projects the same kind of cocky irreverence that was Anderson's
trademark, but he has a ways to go before he fully equals the latter's
appeal. More engaging is fellow Farscape alum Claudia Black as
Vala (Daniel Jackson's one-time love interest and a vixen, thief, and
liar who becomes an integral part of the team during the several
episodes in which she appears), while Beau Bridges is capable but
uninspiring as Major General Hank Landry, who runs the show back on
Earth.

Then there are the bad guys. With longtime nemeses the
Goa'uld having essentially been eliminated, we now have the Ori, whose
agenda of domination through religion provides the season's principal
story arc. They're certainly a timely addition. With their "Book of
Origin," rejection of free will, and goal of subduing all heretics and
"unbelievers," the Ori resemble extreme fundamentalists of various
stripes; on the other hand, when the U.S. military talks about crusades
and "ridding the galaxy of evildoers," parallels to the Bush
administration's war on terror are obvious and unavoidable. Problem is,
while we know that the Ori are relentless, devious, and bloated with
the pride that always attaches itself to false gods, we can't actually
see them. They have semi-human apostles, called Priors, who spread
"enlightenment" and bad mojo (not to mention plagues of carnivorous
bugs) all over the universe. They have mighty ships that that leave the
good guys in dire straits in the climactic battle that ends the season
(typically, little is resolved, leaving viewers to salivate for Season
10). But the Ori themselves are kin to the all-knowing Ancients, who
exist not in recognizable physical form but as energy; unlike previous
villains, from the Goa'uld to the Replicators to Stargate Atlantis'
Wraith, when it comes to the Ori, there's no there there. Meanwhile,
the writers' replacement of the ancient Egyptian iconography used in
earlier seasons with various aspects of Arthurian legend (Merlin,
Knights of the Round Table, sword in the stone) is sometimes cool,
sometimes merely hokey.

As always, Stargate SG-1's
production values and effects remain first-rate, even as the stories
become more character-driven and less dependent on spectacular action
sequences. The DVD transfers are excellent. Special features are similar
to previous box sets: audio commentary on all episodes, featurettes
focusing on sets, props, and special effects, and five "directors
series" entries devoted to particular episodes. --Sam Graham

Review of Season Ten:

If this five-disc, 20-episode, tenth season set really is the end of Stargate SG-1--and
considering the number of reprieves the show has already had and the
rumors of various movie spin-offs, not to mention the fact that the
final installment is entitled "Unending," who knows?--then the folks
responsible for this durable sci-fi series can be proud that they
finished it off in style, with a run of episodes that are for the most
part highly entertaining, exciting, and fun, offering resolution if not
complete closure. And if sharks were jumped, at least they were small
ones. As was the case in Season 9, and to a large extent in Season 8
as well, original series star Richard Dean Anderson is little in
evidence here. Portraying Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell, Ben Browder, who
came to Stargate SG-1 from the underrated Farscape, is
now entrenched as leader of SG-1, the Stargate project's ace team in
the field, joining series veterans Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge,
and Michael Shanks (as Samantha Carter, Teal'c, and Daniel Jackson,
respectively). Most notably, fellow Farscape alum Claudia Black
has an ever-expanding role as Vala, whose cheeky wit and irreverence
bring a consistent spark to the proceedings. The big, bad villains known
as Ori are back as well. We still can't see them--they are, after all,
"ascended beings," represented by the blind, monk-like Priors, who
roam the universe intoning "Hallowed are the Ori" and ensuring that all
will submit to their will (the element of scary religious fanaticism
remains as relevant as ever). But the Ori are also still the most
implacable, irresistible force our heroes have ever encountered;
nothing less than the fate of the entire galaxy is at stake (again)!
And now there's an added twist: the Ori have a frontwoman, if you will,
whose powers make the Priors look like pikers. Known as Adria (or "the
Orici" to believers), this beautiful young woman (played by Morena
Baccarin) also happens to be the daughter of Vala, whom the Ori chose
to bring their demon seed into the world; the uneasy (to say the least)
Adria-Vala relationship provides many intriguing moments. On the
minus side, the show tends to break its own rules (for instance, for a
character who's supposed to be invincible, Adria often seems awfully,
well, vincible), and the commingling of Arthurian legend, Greek, Roman,
and Egyptian myth, magic, and other sources is occasionally
over-the-top, even for this franchise. Some episodes are plot-heavy,
bogged down by too many characters (past bad guys like the Goa'uld, and
Ba'al reappear, as do several Stargate Atlantis principals in
one episode) or excessive techno-rap about time dilation fields, flux
capacitors, and something called the Clava Thessara Infinitas (don't
ask). Episodes in which the writers move away from the central Ori
theme are less than stellar; "200" exists mostly as an opportunity to
make fun of the TV business and is as irrelevant and silly as "Citizen
Joe," the worst episode from Season 8. And finally, without revealing
details, suffice to say that "Unending," which offers a possible fate
for our heroes before totally pulling its punches, may frustrate some
longtime adherents. By and large, though, Stargate SG-1 has
all the elements--humor, action, great effects, good story-telling and
acting, characters you care about--to more than justify its ten-year
run. It will be missed. Special features are again bountiful, including
audio commentary on all episodes, various featurettes, and five
"directors series" entries devoted to particular episodes. --Sam Graham

All 214 episodes, of all 10 seasons and all special features in a compact
DVD case with commemorative booklet and metallic looking outercase!

TC/GAR/F843

All rights reserved. All trade names are registered trademarks of
respective manufacturers listed.

Processing your return:
Returns must be initiated by the customer within 7 calendar days. Please contact
us for instructions. Returns must be received within 7 calendar days from the
date you receive the return information from us. Products received later than
this date cannot be accepted for return. Items cannot be returned Just
because you did not like the item.

Product Condition: Products must be returned in
the SAME condition as shipped from us. Boxes, packing materials, wrappers,
cartons, instruction manuals and products must be in their ORIGINAL
condition without markings, tape, folds or defacing. Products returned in other
than the same condition will be subject to a 15% minimum restocking fee.
Products returned in damaged or unacceptable condition will be returned to the
customer without exchange. Serial numbers on every product sold are kept for a
period of 30 day after sell.

response: Once we know you are satisfied with your purchase, our service
and you leave response for us, we will leave response for you. Open
communication is important for successful customer service so if you have any
questions or problems with our products or services, please email us through
to inform us of the situation. Give us the chance to work it out before
negative response is left. Mistakes are often just human error.

Shipping Costs United States:
I Reserve the right to ship via any carrier that I deem to be cost efficient for
myself and you as the buyer:
ie: USPS / DHL / UPS or FedEx

Shipments within the Continental U.S. (lower 48 States): ONLY
Shipping costs are displayed on this item page.

Shipments to Hawaii, Alaska & Puerto Rico:
Since shipping to these areas cannot be shipped via Ground service, you will
need to Contact me for shipping rates.

International Shipping: We do ship over
seas and do everything possible to work with you on custom fees. We are not
responsible for custom fees and taxes that are placed by your country.

Insurance:
Please note that the price for shipping shown on this page does not include
shipping insurance. Shipping insurance is an option offered by UPS / USPS / DHL
/ FedEx which protects the recipient of any loss or damages while in transit. If
shipping insurance is not selected and your package is either lost or damaged,
you the recipient will be responsible for any loss or damage and not US.

Combined Shipping: I will Combine Shipping
cost if it is cost effective for us to do so